When the Stars Fracture

The hush that followed was not the comforting silence of peace but the eerie stillness of something irrevocably changed.

Shattered remnants of woven space still shimmered faintly in the air, fading like the last breath of a dying star.

Once-lustrous bloom of celestial energy that had filled the Tala Family's domain was now reduced to echoes, and as the five suppressed elders unfroze, their first sensation was not relief—but loss.

They fell to their knees, their bodies trembling as the weight of the aftermath settled upon them. The earthy scent of dampened stone and disrupted soil filled their lungs, a stark contrast to the pristine, astral fragrance that once permeated their sanctuary.

Their hands pressed against the ground, feeling the coarse texture of reality without the comforting embrace of the stars' guidance. For the first time in centuries, they felt small, untethered.

And then, as if answering the silent despair, a figure rose above them.